Electronics
From electric lighting to instantaneous global communications, the evolution of electronics is far from over – keep up to date with the latest developments here.
Latest News
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PrinCube may be the smallest color printer yet
In a perfect world, the only objects that anyone would ever wish to print on would be sheets of paper. Given that this isn't a perfect world, though, The God Things has created what it claims is the smallest-ever mobile color printer – the PrinCube. -
First fully rechargeable carbon dioxide battery lasts 500 cycles
An innovative new battery design makes use of an element we’re producing too much of in carbon dioxide, and boasts an unprecedented ability to recharge 500 times. -
"Nanochains" give advanced battery parts room to breathe
Scientists at Purdue University have come up with a new and improved battery design by first fashioning a key material into a net-like structure called a nanochain. -
Brain-mimicking chip uses different-colored light to learn and forget
Engineers have recently focused on trying to emulate the structure of the brain with artificial synapses. Now, a team of researchers have made a new artificial synapse design that works using a light-based biotechnology technique called optogenetics. -
Review: Langogo's Genesis translator takes a pocket-sized axe to the language barrier
The Langogo Genesis is a hand-held pocket translator, smaller than a smartphone, that uses noise-cancelling microphones to translate between more than 100 languages, while offering you a 4G WiFi hotspot while you're travelling. We've been using one for the last few weeks. -
Silicon chip breaks "blackbody limit" to produce more electricity from heat than thought possible
Heat loss is wasted energy. If we're to successfully create smaller, more efficient technology, then the thermal energy that our gadgets waste needs to be put to better use. This new device, which works at the nanoscale where the theoretical "blackbody limit" falls apart, could be the answer. -
Common element combos could replace rare-Earth metals in electronics
Electronic devices are made possible thanks to rare-Earth metals, but these are rare and relatively expensive. Now, scientists have found a way to combine common elements into electronically-useful compounds, which could find their way into tunable lighting and solar panels. -
Smallest pixels ever created have a heart of gold
Researchers at Cambridge University have managed to create the smallest pixels in the world, about a million times tinier than those in a phone. These new pixels could be used in huge, flexible displays that are relatively easy to manufacture and cheaper to run. -
New matchbox-sized radar could make its way into drones and security systems
The smaller and lighter electronics get, the more ways they can be used. A team of researchers has come up with a compact radar system the size of a matchbox that could be deployed in drones and other gadgets where portability and low cost are important. -
Bluetooth metal detector uses your smartphone to do its thinking
Although smartphones perform many tasks on their own, they're also able to make devices such as drones, robots and cameras cheaper and/or more capable by acting as their "brains." One of the latest gadgets to receive such a treatment is the humble – and potentially treasure-finding – metal detector. -
MIT system locates electrical failures before they occur
It can be challenging, keeping track of multiple electrical devices to see which ones are currently running, and which may be about to fail. MIT's NILM (non-intrusive load monitoring) system is designed to help, tracking the status of devices in settings such as factories, high-rises or even ships. -
Two-dimensional antenna converts Wi-Fi signals into electricity
In a new step towards truly wireless charging, engineers have developed an ultra-thin device that captures Wi-Fi signals and converts them into electricity.